Based on your interest in comparing the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with the Gigabyte Aero 17, and considering the price difference, here's some advice. If your priority is high-end performance for tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering software, the Gigabyte Aero 17 is a better fit despite its higher price. It typically offers powerful hardware aimed at professionals in creative and engineering fields. However, the Apple MacBook Pro 16, while less expensive, provides a balanced combination of performance, battery life, and a user-friendly operating system, which is suitable for general use and less intensive creativity tasks. The MacBook Pro also boasts better portability due to its sleeker design and potentially longer battery life. If you don't require the cutting-edge power of the Aero 17, the MacBook Pro could provide a more cost-effective and portable solution. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.8/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) offers a solid CPU and GPU for engineering tasks with a high-resolution IPS screen, earning its reputation in design fields, while being more portable and quiet in operation. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 17 boasts a more powerful CPU and superior GPU, with a larger, higher resolution Mini LED display, which alongside more storage capacity makes it very suitable for demanding engineering and design applications, at the expense of greater size and weight.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
9.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) excels in general use and engineering design thanks to its high-resolution Retina display that offers vivid colors and brightness, along with wide color gamuts ensuring accurate color representation. The Gigabyte Aero 17's emphasis on a high-resolution, bright display with expansive color coverage meets the rigorous demands of engineering and design professionals who require precision and detail. However, both laptops lack high refresh rate screens, which makes them less suitable for 3D applications and gaming where fluid motion and rapid screen updates are crucial for an optimal experience.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$2,071
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 costs $2,071.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) boasts a balance of performance and portability for general use, with a high-quality screen, good battery life, and a thinner, lighter design, but it offers less storage compared to the Gigabyte Aero 17 which has a larger, high-resolution screen and more storage, making it also suitable for general use, although its heavier build and not as impressive battery life make it less portable. Both have sufficient CPU and RAM for typical tasks, but the MacBook's battery life and portability contrast with the Aero's better screen and abundant storage, reflecting their different strengths.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.9/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Gigabyte Aero 17 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Gigabyte Aero 17
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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